Here is video of of Illinois Democrat Rep. Danny Davis actually arguing that President Barack Obama should have unilateral authority to just raise the nation’s debt-ceiling anytime, and to any amount he desires – without Congressional approval! No matter that the U.S. Constitution gives Congress the power of the purse.

To support his argument, Davis actually likens his desire to see Obama unilaterally seize power to raise the debt-ceiling to Abraham Lincoln’s issuing of the Emancipation Proclamation 150 years ago. In doing so, he said if Lincoln had not issued the proclamation, the Civil War might have gone on for several more years and “thousands and thousands of people” might have “lost their lives.” Of course, the Civil War DID go on for nearly two-and-a-half more years after the Proclamation was issued, and many tens of thousands more did die. The Emancipation Proclamation did not bring the Civil War to a close! It’s ironic that increasing the debt-ceiling again and again is only adding to the financial burden on future generations of Americans. Rather than declaring people to be free – as Lincoln’s Proclamation did – raising the debt-ceiling only helps to ensure that all the people of America will live and labor under the burden of massive debt for many years to come.